The Lisa Wexler Show

Lisa Wexler covers top daily news this Veterans Day and interviews her uncle, Dr. Seymour Zaret who was an army dentist, Jay Nygren on the basics of assisted living, Walter Schuppe on his Faces of Freedom Veteran project & Peter Propp on the 2026 StartUp Westport finalists.

Walter Schuppe joins Lisa Wexler on Veterans Day to discuss Faces of Freedom, his project dedicated to preserving the firsthand stories and memories of U.S. Armed Forces veterans. He shares highlights from newly collected veterans’ stories. Learn more at facesoffreedom.us.

Peter Propp, co-founder of StartUp Westport, joins Lisa Wexler to preview PITCH ’26, a Shark Tank-style Connecticut startup competition. Four finalists—Batch Global, PayScopeMD, Biome Botanicals and Starteryou—will compete for $30,000 in prizes, including a $25,000 grand prize, at the live finale on November 19 at 6 p.m. at the Westport Library. He also highlights a small business accelerator at the University of Bridgeport. Learn more at upinnovations.com by searching for “Bridgeport Accelerator.”

Dr. Seymour Zaret, Lisa’s uncle, joins Lisa Wexler to share memories of his service as an Air Force dentist after graduating as valedictorian of his class at NYU’s dental school.

Jay Nygren, director of sales and marketing at The Greens at Cannondale and a dementia care practitioner, joins Lisa Wexler to explore why people choose assisted living, from daily support to social connection and peace of mind. He weighs the pros and cons of staying at home, home care, assisted living and skilled nursing, and explains the different types of dementia and how they affect care needs. He also discusses Medicare’s coverage limitations, paying for care that isn’t covered and the challenges of planning for Medicaid eligibility in Connecticut.

Lisa Wexler covers top daily news and interviews Dominic Phua Founder & CEO Gangnam Medical Concierge , Matt Mandell on the Cribari Bridge controversy, and Mark Shelhamer, ScD about his new book: Are We Ready For Mars? Plus Lisa's monologue on antisemitism in the wake of what happened in Philiadelphia over the weekend.

Mark Shelhamer, principal investigator of the Johns Hopkins Human Spaceflight Lab and former chief scientist of NASA’s Human Research Program, joins Lisa Wexler to discuss his book, Are We Ready for Mars? He explores what it would take to send astronauts to the Red Planet and bring them home safely—from radiation and prolonged isolation to medical emergencies far beyond the reach of rescue, and how preparing for Mars could improve healthcare on Earth.

Dominic Phua, founder and CEO of Gangnam Medical Concierge, joins Lisa Wexler to discuss medical tourism in South Korea and how his company helps international patients navigate plastic surgery and other medical care. He explains the coordination involved, from choosing clinics and arranging consultations to translation, accommodations and support throughout treatment.

WWCC President and Westport RTM member Matt Mandell joins Lisa Wexler to discuss the latest in the Cribari Bridge controversy. He explains Westport’s push to rehabilitate the bridge while retaining height restrictions that allow existing traffic but keep large trucks out. With the town’s new Cribari Bridge Committee in place, he discusses the need for a meeting with the Connecticut DOT and the next steps toward a resolution.